The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced a $5 million donation to UNICEF’s newly launched global campaign No Time to Waste to fight malnutrition. The grant will help malnourished children aged five and under in up to 24 countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, the Middle East and the Philippines.
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“We are pleased to support UNICEF’s efforts to help children with malnutrition as this program aligns closely with the Church’s global focus on early childhood nutrition,” said Bishop L. Todd Budge, second counselor in the Presiding Bishopric of the Church of Jesus Christ.
“The scale of this crisis calls for action that goes beyond immediate humanitarian assistance,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said at a recent conference in Berlin Social protection systems that all children can count on – and that help communities and countries weather future crises prevent and respond to it.” Up to 41 million children currently suffering from malnutrition could be affected in the first year of programming.
“This support marks a significant new phase in our partnership, building on nine years of impact on children and investment in lifesaving programs. The time to act on child wasting is now, and together we will not stop until all children are healthy,” said Michael J. Nyenhuis, President and CEO of UNICEF USA.
The Church’s donation includes materials to support the prevention, detection and treatment of malnutrition, including waste, the most immediate, visible and life-threatening form of malnutrition.
“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is pleased to extend our long-standing collaboration with UNICEF and pledge $5 million to support the No Time Wasting Malnutrition campaign,” said Sharon Eubank, the church’s director of humanitarian services .
“This funding comes in small increments from hard-working families and from widows on limited incomes and from young children themselves,” Eubank added. “It was given by Latter-day Saints so mothers could have healthier pregnancies and births and provide therapeutic nutrition and micronutrients to their children who may be at risk.”
Sister Eubank’s recorded remarks were shared with other non-profit and private leaders working to end the cycle of child malnutrition in New York City at a United Nations General Assembly side event on Wednesday, September 21, 2022.
Church contribution may benefit:
- Thousands of children with ready-to-use therapeutic nutrition (RUTF), vitamin supplements, micronutrient fortification, screening and related treatments
- Thousands of women with nutritional advice, weight gain monitoring, multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS) and related treatments
- Trained dozens of healthcare workers to treat uncomplicated wasting while significantly reducing the financial burden on parents
UNICEF plans to work with health ministries, local organizations and community health systems to implement the program and provide direct family education, training and resources.
Other organizations participating in the Global Malnutrition Program alongside UNICEF include the Gates Foundation, the Children’s Investment Fund and the Eleanor Crook Foundation, combined with local government funding. USAID will also increase production of therapeutic foods.
The Church of Jesus Christ most recently worked with UNICEF on its global response to COVID-19 and other initiatives.
